If Paris can do it ...

Damian BathersbyA journalist for more than 25 years, Damian Bathersby takes a completely irreverent look at life in his weekly blog Through My Eyes. The twice-married father of four and stepfather of two refuses to take things too seriously because he reckons taking cheap shots at life is the only thing that keeps him sane these days.

Some might say Noosa is as close as you can get to a slice of Paris on the Sunshine Coast.

The comparisons might become more frequent as both our iconic tourist strip and the French capital introduce self-service bicycle programs designed to get people out of their cars.

Paris’s city fathers have unveiled a fleet of 10,000 bikes which will provide people with a cheap way of getting around – an idea which is already well on track in Noosa shire.

Parisian cyclists will be able to pay just a few dollars to use a bike, which they will drop off at any of 750 stations once they have finished their ride.

And if it’s good enough for Paris, it’s good enough for Noosa, says councillor Frank Wilkie.

The keen cyclist said his council already provided showers and change rooms to encourage staff to ride to work and was introducing a self-service bicycle program similar to Paris.

"Low-cost hire or free-use cycles and a well-established network of on and off-road cycle paths are part of the strategy to get the 10-20% shift away from the private car use needed to keep Noosa’s road network free of congestion,’’ Mr Wilkie said.

"There will be an extra $2 million in bikeways added to the 60km of coastal bikeways in Noosa Heads from this year and the council will be consulting with commercial hire operations on ways in which we can introduce low-cost or free hire cycles.”

Council staff were working on a model involving 10 bicycle collection and drop-off points in Peregian, Sunshine, Noosa Junction, Noosa Parade, Noosaville and Tewantin, he said.

New commercial developments in the shire were also being forced to follow council’s lead and install shower and change facilities for staff who ride to work.

While Noosa is obviously streets ahead, other Coast councils appear to be supportive of self-service bike schemes – in principle, at least.

Caloundra Mayor Don Aldous, also a keen bike rider, said his council was already encouraging people to see cycling as a safe and viable transport option through a range of planning initiatives for bikeways, paths and green bike lanes at busy intersections.

Maroochy councillor Bruce Dunne, who rides from Coolum to Nambour just for fun, was also right behind the idea.

“It fits perfectly into the Coast lifestyle and areas such as Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Coolum are predominantly flat and ideal for pushbikes,” said the environment portfolio co-chair.

“We have become too used to using cars and have to focus on public transport and alternative transport such as bikes.”

In the French city of Lyon, a self-service bike program saw bicycle traffic jump 75% – a result Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Ian Christensen would like to see repeated here.

“Anything we can do to get people out of their cars and into either public transport, walking or cycling is a positive move,” he said.

“We need to be trying as many positive things as we can because what we are doing now – building more roads to cater for more vehicles – simply isn’t working.”